Rogue Piñatas: VRmageddon is a new colorful, festive, and chaotic VR social mayhem game that asks, “What if piñatas fought back?”
Launching in early 2025 on Meta Quest and SteamVR, the original intellectual property game from Nerd Ninjas will challenge players to annihilate increasingly large and chaotic hordes of candy-exploding piñata enemies of all sizes and temperaments.
“Rogue Piñatas: VRmageddon is a stupidly fun VR experience that will have players hooked from the first swing!” said Nate Chatellier, founder of Nerd Ninjas, in a statement. “But this is just the beginning. VRmageddon is the launchpad for an entire Rogue Piñatas universe we’re building for our fans. We can’t wait to see the reactions and hope they have as much fun playing as we did bring it to life.”
VR lovers are invited to party like there’s no tomorrow. The roguelite is set in a “party-apocalyptic world” where players can team up with other survivors in co-op (with shared XP) and unlock secret weapons and gadgets as they progress through the levels.
The game from Spokane, Washington-based Nerd Ninjas features co-op with one to four survivors. Characters have unique abilities and start out with their own default weapons, players can pursue weapon upgrades and explore different gameplay experiences.
Nerd Ninja is an indie studio whose staff helped bring to life games like Niantic’s Pokémon GO and Terrible Posture Games’ Battle Train.
They developed in partnership with Meta. It’s a VR multiplayer roguelite game where players try to survive by bashing piñatas that have come to life. VR fans can play the first demo for Rogue Piñatas: VRmageddon now for free on the game’s official Steam page and Meta Quest page.
Rogue Piñatas: VRmageddon will support up to four players with every character in the game bringing unique perks and their own starting weapon into the fold.
By smashing piñatas and collecting their candies, players can upgrade their powers as they traverse through six distinct levels that offer new dangers and opportunities for mayhem. Rogue Piñatas: VRmageddon has 12+ different weapons that can be dual wielded and upgraded to powerful evolutions, giving players the chance to create the perfect loadout through endless hours of fun.
At release, the game will also introduce 18+ different pinata enemies, like the hopping Jacked Rabbit, each with unique visuals, sound effects, and behaviors.
Rogue Piñatas: VRmageddon will feature at this week’s Steam Next Fest and will launch the game’s highly anticipated Kickstarter campaign next week on October 22. Fans who back the game on Kickstarter will have the opportunity to become beta testers and join design sessions, while receiving exclusive pledge and stretch-goal rewards.
Origins
Chatellier has successfully launched eight Kickstarter campaigns, raising more than $10 million for projects like X-Men Dice Throne and Marvel Dice Throne. He started the company in 2016, and now it has 50 people.
I asked Chatellier what was his inspiration for this newest company. In a message to GamesBeat, he said, “Being laid off in 2016 turned out to be one of the best things that ever happened to me. At the time, I was a Senior Game Developer, working on titles for Disney, Pixar, Nickelodeon, and others.”
He added, “In Spokane, Washington, my options were limited. The only other game studio, Cyan, was also facing financial struggles. I found myself at a crossroads: either move away from the city and friends I loved, or take a leap of faith and start my own business. My wife and I had just bought a home, and we had recently adopted our 18-month-old daughter, so it was a stressful time to take a risk. However, we had a six-month financial emergency fund saved up, and I asked my wife if we could use it to pursue this dream. Amazingly, she said yes.”
With a sense of urgency, Chatellier decided to double down and start two businesses simultaneously, working full-time at both for six months. His hope was that at least one would take off.
“Amazingly, they both did!,” he said. “Dice Throne was cofounded with Manny Trembley, an incredibly talented artist who had also been laid off with me. Together, we built a successful board game franchise, raising $10 million on Kickstarter and recently partnering with Marvel to bring iconic heroes like Wolverine and Deadpool into our world.”
On the other side, he started Nerd Ninjas as a solo game developer and designer. He was fortunate to secure a partnership with Niantic, where he spent six months designing and developing a prototype for a geospatial AR version of the Catan board game. At the end of that project, Chatellier pitched a business plan to Niantic, proposing that he bring in former teammates to form a full studio. With their support, he created Catan – World Explorers as the company’s debut title. Since then, the partnership with Niantic has continued, and he has built a strong relationship with Meta as well.
“At Nerd Ninjas, we create games that we want to play, blending passion with creativity. Looking back, taking that leap in 2016 was the spark that brought everything together,” Chatellier said.
As for the inspiration for this game, he said, “As a passionate fan of the roguelite genre, I was captivated by Vampire Survivors even before its official release. Becoming Godlike against hordes of enemies is an incredible feeling. I believed this feeling would be even more amazing and immersive if it was done in VR. With Nerd Ninjas’ successful track record in AR and VR development, and our previous collaboration with Meta, I knew we had the foundation to bring this vision to life. The only remaining question was, ‘What’s the perfect theme?'”
Reflecting on past experiences, he knew that a game’s initial impression could make or break it. Many fantastic games stumble due to a complex tutorial phase— and he said he has even faced this issue himself.
“So, I started brainstorming enemies that players would instantly want to smash and collect loot from, without the need for lengthy instructions. Zombies were an option, but the market is saturated. I wanted a concept that would not only be universally appealing but also fresh,” Chatellier said. “And then, it hit me: piñatas. Imagine the chaos of a piñata apocalypse in full-blown multiplayer VR! The idea of hordes of piñatas bursting with loot and splashes of color felt perfect for an immersive, action-packed experience.
Thus began the VRmageddon.”
Historically, Nerd Ninjas has operated as a work-for-hire studio, which has allowed the company to bootstrap itself from the ground up. However, Rogue Piñatas: VRmageddon is the first fully internal title. While it is partnering with Meta on this project, the vast majority of the game has been self-funded. The upcoming Kickstarter campaign, launching on Tuesday, October 22, will be the closest thing to “fundraising” that the firm has done so far.